As the Southern African Development Community (SADC) condemns Rwanda’s involvement in the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), President Paul Kagame has initiated talks with Senegal’s newly elected leader, Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
This diplomatic outreach to West Africa comes amid a tense regional climate in Central Africa.
On Saturday, Rwandan President Paul Kagame engaged in talks with President Faye on regional security issues, coinciding with an extraordinary SADC summit in Harare that denounced Rwandan forces’ alleged role in the unrest in the DRC.
This diplomatic overture toward West Africa, centered on “the importance of continental collaboration” for regional security, comes as SADC voices “deep concern” over attacks carried out by the M23 rebels and the Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) against Congolese forces and the SADC mission in North Kivu.
While Kigali seeks to strengthen ties with Dakar—following a two-day visit in May 2024—the Harare summit presented a damning assessment of recent violence, lamenting the deaths of several South African, Tanzanian, and Malawian soldiers in clashes in Sake.
SADC has taken concrete measures in response, including the immediate deployment of defense ministers to the region and the scheduling of a joint summit with the East African Community (EAC), while reaffirming its support for the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes.
AC/lb/as/APA